en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2441480 Comments by RexGoliath http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/how-has-your-opinion-changed-on-illegal-immigration-119-blog/#IDComment144958762 My opinions have changed on illegal immigration. I used to think it was terrible that so many people were living here illegally. I never thought about the amount of resources it would take to make the United States illegal immigrant free. It would take almost all of our government spending to keep everyone out. Mr. Richards also made a good point that by having illegal immigrants, we are able to have lower prices on many things that we take for granted. If we didn't have illegal immigrants we would have to pay everyone minimum wage. There are many businesses that thrive on hiring illegal immigrants in order to stay in business. This mostly happens in the agricultural market. I can see how why Mr. Richards compared this issue to the determinism vs. free will argument. These topics really are a grey area subject. One has to see the immigrants’ point of view as well as their own in order to see the big picture. There isn’t one right answer to this topic. We allow labor or people to flow in and out of a country in order to allocate the cheap and expensive labor effectively. We also do not want people who we do not want in to get in. This permeability is a win, lose situation. We gain the labor we need but also gain labor that takes away from our citizens. It really comes straight down to business. Companies need labor, usually cheap labor, and will encourage legislators to pass laws which make it easier for people to come into the country legally. The immigrants really don’t have much impact on the average person. They usually do the labor that none of us are willing to do, all for a cheaper price. Richards made a good point that most of us have ancestors who were immigrants in the past and were considered inferior as well. It is hard for the United States to deal with something like immigration because our country is based on the fact that people immigrated. We are the most diverse country with all kinds of different people. How can we deny new immigrants when we know we wouldn’t be here if our ancestors were turned away? It is obvious that we cannot keep everyone out. What we should do is make it harder for a person to come here legally. They should be able to prove that they are able to speak English and will be a valuable citizen to our community. We can also make stricter policies on hiring illegal immigrants. If there is no work or incentive less immigrants will try and hop the border illegally. One should have to prove their citizen ship or vista in order to obtain a job in our country. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:34:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/how-has-your-opinion-changed-on-illegal-immigration-119-blog/#IDComment144958762 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143232661 I thought the class on Native Americans was one of my favorite classes of the whole year. It is a subject that not many people talk about. What land is now the United States was once owned by Indigenous people who we massacred in order to expand our "western frontier." This class really made me think about what this country stands for and how ironic it is that our land is ours because of mass genocide. On another note, the statistics that were brought up in class were astonishing. Eighty percent of all attacks on Native Americans are done by a person that is not Native American when attacks on other races are mostly done by the same race. I think it is awful that this decimation and hatred goes on in the United States. The song by the Dave Matthews Band "Don't Drink the Water" really was a moving song when you could see the lyrics right in front of you. I've been a fan of their music for years and have heard this song before. I never heard it before like I did that day. I really respect their music so much more because of that class. I find it amazing that Native Americans haven't been a topic in politics or anything. I believe we need to stop the current war and give some money to these people who obviously deserve it. Americans don't realize what our people have done to Native Americans. Our entire country is their land! At the least we need to give them subsides or reparations as a sign of respect and regret for what we've done. It is a crime that we stand for freedom and justice for all people but we are founded on the slaughter and pillage of what today we call the "U.S Homeland." The United States sends foreign aid to all these countries that need help when there are people here that are American citizens and deserve help from their country more than these other people, especially Native Americans. We always find a way to spend our money somewhere else other than on the citizens of our country. I hope one day we can give Native Americans a small land that they can call their own. They can divide it up as they please. Going back to the Dave Matthews song, some of the lyrics of that song send shivers down my spine. "Upon these poor souls, I'll build heaven and call it home." It's sad but history like this takes away some of my pride I have as an American. I don't know how we can have a constitution that is so just, a decreed of freedom and massacre others because we want their land. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:10:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/12/what-are-your-thoughts-on-everything-we-saw-and-heard-in-lecture-about-native-americans-119-blog/#IDComment143232661 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/what-do-you-think-of-the-291-statistic-and-what-number-would-you-pick-119-blog/#IDComment141082770 I was really caught off guard when Mr. Richards said this in class. I couldn't believe the United States would risk that many innocent lives just for one person. That whole class in general was one my of my favorite classes of the year. It really showed both sides of this "War on Terrorism." After class ended, I could really see how other people who live in the middle east and do not know the big picture would have such hatred for America. This not the case with every Muslim. I think it's terrible that many Americans do not respect or trust any Muslim even though the chances of them being a terrorist are drastically small. I thought that video we saw in class that had a Middle Eastern person being denied service at a store very interesting. Many of the people went about their business, not standing up for the persons rights. Instances like this show that people either don't care or have biased toward Middle Easterners due to the ongoing war. This 29:1 ratio just shows how us Americans can be just as ruthless as the terrorists. We see the terrorists as these ravage people who do not give a damn about human life. I'm sure if these extremist have children, they love them as much as any American. It's our such diverging viewpoints that makes us such enemies. These extremists only make up a dismal fraction of the population in the Muslim community. I find it interesting that Americans think every Muslim is a terrorist. The odds are so small that it's like saying that every American is a felony criminal just because a small percentage of the United States is a felon. This ratio is so crucial in trying to see the other point of view in this "crusade" as George W. Bush calls it. I feel as if our world is in the midst of a religious war which is only just beginning to emerge. Our President calling it a "crusade" along with this ratio can have large impacts on the minds of poor, uneducated Muslims who see fighting Americans as a purpose in life. They hear that we're willing to kill 29 innocent people for the life of one person. Even though this was before the fact, news like this makes people do things like blow up the World Trade Center. I can't say that I appreciate the Muslims point of view but I can now understand it and learn to respect it. I don't think this war only has to with religious reasons but also the attitude of Americans. We are one of the most wasteful, self centered, lazy countries in the world. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 20:33:14 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/what-do-you-think-of-the-291-statistic-and-what-number-would-you-pick-119-blog/#IDComment141082770 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment139158060 Being around two or more people speaking a different language would definitely be uncomfortable. In the United States we are so used to hearing people just speak English, and the occasional Spanish. I will have to say that this is not the case here at Penn State. With so many foreign students, I hear languages I don't even recognize. I have gotten used to hearing them talk but every time I feel somewhat uncomfortable because I start thinking about what they are saying. If my friends and I knew a different language that no one knows, I would use it to my advantage. You could say anything about anyone and no one would know what the hell you were saying. I have a roommate who was born in Moscow, Russia. When his parents visit our apartment, they try and talk to him in Russian but he just replies in English. It's funny to hear his responses to what they say when I have no idea what his parents are saying. I've asked him to teach me a few words in Russian. Igor knows the language but can't really speak it as well as he used to. This is similar to when my dad came to the United States. He came here when he was seven years old from Germany. It must be hard to leave everything behind, even your language, to come here and assimilate. At first it was very awkward hearing people speak another language but I've gotten used to it over time. Like my dad, my grandmother and grandpa are both European and speak German. Ever since I can remember, they've spoke it at my grandmother's house. Even though my dad knows what they are saying, like Igor, he speaks back to them in English. It is probably difficult to speak after years and years of not having practice. I guess I can say over time I've become more comfortable with others speaking different languages. I will say that I was not that used to it when I came to Penn State. At first I thought everyone not speaking English was talking about me. I feel as globalization becomes more prominent, you will begin to see more and more foreigners and people speaking other languages. America is the melting pot of the world. With the most diversity, we will continue to see more and more people not speaking English. I'm not saying that English will not be the United State's language but you will hear others besides it. All in all I would say I used to be uncomfortable around others speaking another language but I've seen it so many times over the years that it doesn't bother me anymore. Fri, 1 Apr 2011 17:38:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/29/do-you-ever-feel-uncomfortable-around-two-or-more-people-speaking-another-language-119-blog/#IDComment139158060 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/how-can-we-save-our-scarce-resources-119-blog/#IDComment134220034 There are many ways in which we can save our scarce resources. For the most part, countries such as America consume the largest amount of resources. We consume too much; we waste too much. The United States has too many resources at it's disposal it doesn't know what to do with them. Think about the percentage of world consumption the United States contributes. The United States makes up something like five percent of the worlds population but contributes twenty percent of its waste. This is a huge problem. I can see this problem even in State College. I notice that a large portion of the people living in my building do not recycle even though it is right next to the dumpster. The only problem is you have to split everything up and put it into the right bin. I know this may seem tedious but you're helping recycle resources. Just look at the United State's oil consumption. We use more oil than anywhere in the world. To conserve our finite supply of oil , the United States could encourage smaller cars and discourage SUVs or larger vehicles. I believe we really need to start living more humble here in America. As the postings above me stated, there are way too many people living in poverty and we continue to consume. Eventually all these developing countries will become more advance and more and more people will require more and more resources. If everyone lived like we do here in the United States we would run out of resources in no time. One of our most important resources is oil. It is what makes the world go round. We really don't have enough oil to support the whole world in a modern society. Eventually we need to change to a renewable resource such as solar power. Oil consumption has grown exponentially for decades and will not stop. As jerseygirl309 said, people living in poverty are continuing to have large families even though they have no resources for clothes, food, or shelter. Eventually the countries in which these people live will become more modern and will require more resources. These large families will become much more detrimental to the world in decades to come. These countries will require more of everything as they advance. Governments in these poor countries need to see this population problem and step in to stop their growth. Developed countries can also help by cutting down on their use of resources. Me being an economics major, we talk about this kind of stuff all the time. The most detrimental thing in the long run is population growth. If that is not taken care of the world will become too populated too quick and resources will not be able to be allocated correctly. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:55:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/02/how-can-we-save-our-scarce-resources-119-blog/#IDComment134220034 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/why-with-more-education-do-people-believe-that-success-is-mostly-a-result-of-hard-work-119-blog/#IDComment128681317 I believe it is the opposite. The more education people have the more likely they are to believe in determinism rather than hard work or free will. In class Mr. Richards showed us a chart which had the percentages of high school graduates, undergraduates, and graduate students who thought determinism was the main factor in success. The more education the people had, the more they chose determinism. Granted hard work is very beneficial and is still a huge part in getting far in life but determinism really dominates the amount of success you obtain. Just by us students being born in America, we are so much more likely to succeed than people from third world countries even if they had 10 times the drive that we do. One might say that these people do come to America and do become successful. That is true but they were lucky under whatever circumstances to have the opportunity to put their drive to work. I may believe determinism is much more important than hard work but I will never teach my children that. Hard work has played a vital role in how far we have come as a species. If it wasn't for people advancing science and technology, using their drive to create new advances in their field , we wouldn't have all the amenities and conveniences we have today. Even if your circumstances aren't great, determinism hasn't worked in your favor and you are a driven person, you will be better than all those lazy people out there. I think many educated people today believe more determinism because people in developed countries are fairly spoiled. People in the United States really don't have to do much to get by. There are homeless shelters which give out free food. If you lived in sub Sahara Africa, you wouldn't be getting free meals. We are a generation that is spoon fed everything. As a whole, people never really had to work for what they have. Think of how many kids come from families who make well over 100,000 dollars a year. We actually did this in today's class. It was something like 40 percent of the class. There are people in other countries who make less than 500 dollars a year. Most of the youth today are just given everything they have. Whether its a car or a college tuition, people do not see why hard work is so important. Granted you need certain things to go your way while becoming successful but hard work really does make a difference. Like Mr. Richards said in class, it is a balance between the two sides. Determinism does play its part. People in other countries are more driven than people in the United States but will never get the opportunity to put their drive to the test. On the other side is hard work which no matter what will help you in whatever circumstance you are in but may not help you as much as you want unless determinism works in your favor. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 23:29:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/why-with-more-education-do-people-believe-that-success-is-mostly-a-result-of-hard-work-119-blog/#IDComment128681317 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127217621 I would say that it's a combination of the two. I grew up in a middle class family in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Just by that alone I can say I was better off than most of the world. From there I could have been a bum and never finished high school. My parents definitely raised me to be the best I can be. This is the determination side of my situation. I was much more likely to succeed and go to college on the basis that I grew up in middle class area and had parents who taught me to be a driven person in society. This though can only get you so far. You may say "the hell with school" and work at K-mart or McDonald's the rest of your life. This is where free will comes into play. I had a choice to sit on my ass and not try in life but I made the choice to come to college and get an education. I really can't say it was a perfect balance in my situation. It leaned toward determinism. I had to try but not as hard as some would have to in order to get to where I am today. I also had the help of close family friends who are fairly rich. They offered to pay for my sisters as well as my education. My sister is five years older than me and since entering "the real world" she realizes how much not paying for college has helped her. Not paying for student loans while trying to pay rent is a great help. I can say that some people are much more on the free will side. My grandparents are from Croatia and Serbia. They were caught up in World War II and were put in labor camps. Once the war ended, they traveled to Germany then eventually to the United States. They came here with nothing more than a few suitcases and did not speak English. They came here and made something of themselves. Now they are both retired and have a small rancher near by. It really comes down to the cards you are dealt and what you do with them to make you successful and happy. Most people just want to be happy in life. In today's society this is done through making yourself economically stable. Some may not have the best start and have to work much harder to get to where they are today. This isn't necessarily bad because they are probably more prepared in life than the people who are dealt better lives and just breeze through them. For everyone it is somewhere in the middle. I respect the people who work their ass off so they can have what they have because they actually deserve it. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:33:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/how-have-the-choices-youve-made-and-determinism-affected-your-life-119-blog/#IDComment127217621 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/do-you-think-race-can-stop-being-an-issue-in-the-future-119-blog/#IDComment125946274 I think eventually it will not be a problem. People today are too caught up in the differences between people to see the similarities. It is surprising that race is still an issue today and is not one of the most talked about subjects. In 2011, we realize that people are the same everywhere. Not one race is superior to another yet some make a substantial amount more than others. We may know that we're the same but we do not show it. As we discussed in class, on average African Americans make a large amount less than the white population. I think this mostly has to do with the opportunities that they are given. It's terrible how the world views the white race as the model one. This may have to do with the expansion of western civilization which was brought to life by white people/ Europeans. It is a crime though that we were able to end slavery, end segregation but yet we still are divided in such a subtle way. I think it will take decades before we realize how similar we all are. It will take years of intermixing between races until we get to the point where everyone is not just one race but a mix of many. Even at that point there still may be problems. The world needs to realize how ridiculous racism has become. It isn't as offensive and widespread as in decades past but you would be a fool if you thought it isn't prevalent in today's society. On average the wealth of a white male without a home is around $22,000. The same statistic for black males comes in at less than 2,000. This is a HUGE difference in wealth. This wealth not only affects the person but his family and future generations. When African Americans have less than 10% of the wealth that white people have, it becomes a huge eye opener. How did we ever let this difference get this high? This lack of wealth stops the black community from purchasing homes, providing for their family, and even sending their kids to college. What are these people supposed to do for retirement if they have no wealth? I believe over time, though it might take awhile, people will slowly become one race, human. It will be a gradual process. It will happen when people realize everyone, besides their appearance, is the same. It has gotten better over the past few decades. It is almost taboo to say that we still have a problem but we do. I believe this realization won't happen until the world is at peace, putting religion and other beliefs which separate us aside. This day will come. I don't know if it will be in my lifetime or later but it will be a good day. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 16:53:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/do-you-think-race-can-stop-being-an-issue-in-the-future-119-blog/#IDComment125946274 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124207387 People who are of a certain race usually grew up with people of the same race. It isn't necessarily that people don't want to branch out to others, it is just what is common and comfortable for people. It may not be the color of their skin but rather the activities and hobbies which different races enjoy. Many times, hunters are white whereas rappers are usually black. This is not always the case but it is part of each of their culture. Besides those examples, many people of the same age have very similar interests regardless of their race or ethnicity. Many college students like to play video games, play sports; hell they all love to drink. It's the fact that on most occasions, for whatever reason, black and white people will not mingle as easily as with someone from their race. I don't think people make this conscious choice to hangout with their own race, it just happens that way because they interact with more people that are their race. It is a result of the still present separation between different races. I know we've made huge strides in this department but it still exists. Though it is not a hatred as decades ago, there is definitely a separation between different groups of people. As a society we are starting to get to the point where race and your ethnic background are meaningless to what kind of person you are. People today realize that nurture overrules peoples predisposition to nature or someones race. You could be an adopted white child in a black home and grow up just the same as everyone else. Granted different races have different morals and cultures which they instill on their children. That is no different than the values of a Christian compared to a Jew. There is no reason why our different races are still as separated as they are today. I believe it all comes back to peoples comfort level. People feel that they can relate better to people of their race which is not necessarily true. A person of a different race can have the exact likes and dislikes as you and you would never know it. It probably originated in childhood. Growing up as an infant, you are surrounded by others, could be your family or friends, which are 9 times out of 10 the same race or ethnicity as you. It is almost instilled in us from a very young age that we are more comfortable with our own race. This can make sense in say a black persons life where he or she is struggling to fit in in a community primarily white and the friendship of someone black can help them. All in all, this separation is a problem which doesn't allow us as humans to fully understand each other, creating a barrier between all races. Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:29:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124207387 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122619843 I agree with most of the posts here. Stereotypes are something very difficult to get rid of, just like racism. Like samuel said, people here these thing about different "categories" of people and eventually figure they are true. I also agree that Jewish people are always viewed in a bad manner. Most of my close friends from home are Jewish and I'm not. They just happen to be my friends. I've honestly have never saw them fit any of the stereotypes. Not anymore stingy or uncoordinated than your average Christian. Since being at Penn State, a few of them have come to visit. My roommates ask me "why are all your friends from home Jewish?" I respond "Does it matter?" It is not just ones parents which influences which stereotypes they believe are true but also the variety of people that person has interacted with. Granted some African Americans, Jews, Asians, and other groups fit the stereotype of their people fairly well. This does not necessarily mean everyone like them acts in the same manner. The more one gets to know others who are drastically different from themselves, the more stereotypes and racism disappears. The problem is people like to hang out with others like them. Most of my friends are similar to me; similar tastes in music and hobbies. Going to such a large university such as Penn State, you interact with so many people on a regular basis regardless if they're an acquaintance or a cashier who you barely look at. I know someone in an earlier post mentioned the MTV show "Jersey Shore." This is a perfect example of when the stereotypes of people, which are not necessarily true ARE true. The reason for this shows success is not the serious drama of the show which it tries to evoke but the absurd and funny fact that these people fit the Guido/Italian meat-head stereotype so well. People are not interested in these people anymore than they are of seeing them say or do something ridiculous. Another television show that shows peoples stereotypes is Chappelle's Show. He talks about and depicts many stereotypes which are not true about African Americans. He has a little skit for each stereotype which shows, in a funny manner, how untrue the stereotype is. Lisa Lampanelli is another example of stereotypes and racism put to the limit. Her WHOLE stand up gig is stereotypes and racism, nothing else. She will go through the audience and torment each and every group or race of people. I feel her show is pretty vulgar but definitely funny. I laugh because I think, "how can people believe some of these crazy allocations?" All in all, people need to just give others a chance before putting them in a category. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:19:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122619843 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cd%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122608548 soc119 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:05:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cd%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122608548